


Healing Powers

by embersandturquoise



Category: X-Men (Alternate Timeline Movies), X-Men (Movieverse)
Genre: Charles Xavier in a Wheelchair, Charles Xavier is a Sweetheart, Developing Relationship, F/M, Falling In Love, Feelings, Fluff and Smut, Movie: X-Men: Dark Phoenix (2019), Oral Sex, Post-X-Men: Dark Phoenix (2019), Sex, X-Men Inspired
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-22
Updated: 2020-04-22
Packaged: 2021-03-01 23:00:52
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 10,596
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23785174
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/embersandturquoise/pseuds/embersandturquoise
Summary: Charles is left behind, when the other X-men go after Jean at the end of "Dark Phoenix". A woman with more powers that she herself knew of finds him. She takes care for him and they fall in love. Smut in between.
Relationships: Charles Xavier/Original Female Character
Kudos: 20





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading. This is my first ever X-Men-fanfiction. Hope you enjoy. Thanks for leaving Kudos. Comments are very much appreciated.

**Healing Powers (Charles Xavier – Dark Phoenix)**

Chapter 1

The place was a mess. Fires burning, car wracks, broken trees, cracks in the ground.

There must have been a fight. No, not just a fight. This looked like the apocalypse in a nutshell. The place had formerly been a peaceful, green oasis; she still remembered coming here for lunch breaks. She had in fact been here in the late afternoon when all hell broke loose.

All of a sudden people had been running away, in different directions, screaming, she heard cars crashing and other voices. Those mutants had appeared out of the blue. The guy with the helmet had flown up into the air, over to that building on the other site and there had been others; a blue one with a long tail and Storm, the woman who could control the weather. She had always had a secret admiration for this one.

But now, no one was here anymore. She looked out, aware not to step onto something that would explode under her feet or cause even more damage. She had been hiding under a bridge nearby, she was just grateful she had survived at all, even just watching it from afar had given her struggles with her own inner demons.

There was a “crack”, she looked down, heartbeat fastened in a second, but it was just a rat.

“Shush... off you go.”

The poor animal was surely more frightened than she herself was. It disappeared into the undergrowth.

Suddenly she saw a shadow moving somewhere in the far distance. Maybe they were still around? She looked out for some hide-away, as she suddenly heard a soft low voice in her head:

“Help...”

She tried to shake it away. This can´t be possible, she told herself. She looked around, there was no one.

“Walk along the wooden path.”

Shit, she was going crazy finally. Hearing voices. He sounded desperate, though. Maybe she should really...

“I´ll lead you. Take a turn left.”

She could not help but follow the voice. She could feel now the man was in pain. She fastened her pace.

“Near the lake. Take the right round. You´re nearly there. Aaargh...”

Jesus, she saw him. Now she ran. He was lying in the wet grass and he was bleeding. His face seemed familiar somehow, maybe he was one of the mutants. She would think about that later, now he needed assistance. She looked him up and down, his legs were drawn into a strange position, as if he had been hurled against something with great force and then fell back down, very hard. From far above maybe.

“Okay... don´t move. Ah no, that looks terrible.”

She touched his upper waist, where there was dry blood, a lot of it. He panted and clenched his fists as she tried to locate the wound.

“Sorry, I can see it must hurt. I shall make you a bandage. Let´s see...”

She was desperately thinking now. What could she use? She surely had nothing sterile with her, how would she. But this was an emergency. So she just pulled roughly at her blouse and ripped wide stripes from the fabric.

“Come on. Just need to stop the bleeding. Can you help me? I don´t want to hurt you more, but I need to remove your shirt from the wound...”

He nodded and just now she realized he had the most mesmerizing blue eyes she had ever seen. They were of the colours of the ocean. He was younger than she had thought him to be at first; his head was bald, but he seemed to be quite fit, only that now pain was written in his face. He had already begun to open the buttons of his elegant white shirt and she could finally examine the wound. It wasn´t as deep as she had feared it to be, from all the blood there was on his shirt and it seemed to be away enough from any organs that could have been damaged. She wondered; this looked neither like a cut nor like he had been shot or anything else she had ever seen.

“Okay. I´m gonna put these around your waist to stop the bleeding. Can you move your chest up?”

With great efforts he heaved himself up onto his forearms, so that she could tie the bandage around him. She was quite astounded by his muscly arms and the broad shoulders. She had not expected him to be that built, he still looked tiny overall.

“Ahhh... mmh... fff...”

He was clearly trying not to show it, but she could see the pain in his eyes.

“It´s okay. You´re badly wounded. I can see how that hurts. Okay... now, this is it.”

She made a knot somewhere at the level of his ribs and looked around.

“Where are the others? Nobody here anymore?”

“Dsch... ffff...”

The man sank back onto his back and closed his eyes. She just waited. He did not faint, did he? She was a bit anxious now. What was she supposed to do with him? What if the bleeding...

“It´s okay... Just...”

He finally spoke. Not in her head; she could hear him say the words aloud, she could see his lips moving.

“Left. All of them. Dschiiii...”

Sounded like a name. He was trying to tell her something but couldn´t. His eyelids fluttered. She should really get him out of here.

“Left you here alone. All of them. Nice mutant friends you have. What´s your name by the way? I seem to remember your face...”

Surely she had seen him somewhere before.

“Cha... Charles. Charles Xavier.”

“Okay, Charles Xavier. Mutant. I´m Scarlett. And now, let´s get you out of here. Even if I really don´t have a clue how I should do this, but let´s try. Can you get up?”

His legs were still tangled in that awful position but he didn´t seem to have any further injuries. He looked at her and a smile appeared on his lips, a rather sad smile.

“I´m afraid, no. I can´t move my legs.”

“Shit, what?? Oh my god, we need...”

He interrupted her, before she could panic:

“Hip paralysis. Happened some twenty years ago. Accident. Cuba.”

He gulped. The memory of that day still seemed to haunt him.

“Okay...”

She was relieved, at least that wasn´t anything she would need to take care of now. But anyhow, how was she supposed to carry him? He looked quite small, yes, but still muscly. Maybe he wasn´t that heavy? She could try... So she put his arm around her shoulder and gripped his waist tightly.

“Try it like this.”

Charles pushed himself up and clung to her side in a strange angle. As she had expected, he wasn´t that heavy, just the fact that he could not move his legs made it nearly impossible for her to get him up at all.

“Aaahh... my head. I feel dizzy. Sorry, this won´t work.”

He was on the ground again.

“So now... what?”

He shook his head.

“Sorry, I´m so sorry. Seems my mind is not working as usual. I guess my wheelchair must be somewhere around here.”

He held his forehead like he had a headache.

“Okay. Okay... I´ll go and get it. Can you tell me where exactly? Some direction? Any hint?”

His forehead wrinkled now he looked up at her, but he was in deep thoughts. Shook his head again. Panted. Then he raised two fingers onto his temple and closed his eyes. Scarlett had absolutely no idea what he was doing there but she hoped it would be of any help.

“Ah, now.”

He opened his eyes again and now there was a more determined look on him.

“It´s there, right across that wall.”

He pointed straight forward and as her eyes had adapted to the darkness in the meantime she could now see something silvery shine behind that wall. She ran over and fetched the wheelchair. It looked as if it had not been harmed during the fighting, was still working, so she rolled it over to the place where Charles was still resting.

“Here we are. Okay, we´ll try that again.”

She heaved him up again, pulled all her strength together and as soon as he got hold to the armrests, he could finally seat himself into the chair. The upright position did not have positive effects on the wound, it seemed; his face was painfully distorted and he clenched his fists again. He did really look small in that chair and pale, so pale... He would recover better when lying, she was sure. So without further ado she turned the chair around and shoved him along the way, which was no longer a way; the wheels rattled over stones and wood and so much else, she could hear him hiss, although she tried to avoid the obstacles on the ground, until they were finally out of that destroyed park.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Scarlett and Charles arrive at her flat.

Chapter 2

Charles was sleeping. Scarlett looked at his now rather peaceful face and wondered how she had managed to get him onto that sofa. Which was her sleeping place actually, but she had decided he needed it more than her at the moment. He had been so quiet on the way to her flat. She was afraid he might suffer from some posttraumatic shock.

She had found it easiest to come here. She had no idea where the man lived; he looked so distinguished, maybe he owned a manor somewhere, but for the sake of it – now he was here. The wound had stopped bleeding, she did already check that. He was in deep pain but refused to take any medication. She was a bit tense about that, but he looked a strong, healthy man in general; all he needed now was a rest. She hoped.

She found some leftovers from the day before and decided to turn them into a soup. Would do them good and maybe some strong liquor or else. She looked through her fridge, then went over to the storage room and did indeed find a bottle of rum. She had completely forgotten she had any, maybe had brought it back from some holiday years ago. She wasn´t into drinking much, but after this... She opened the bottle and poured herself just a tiny portion.

The soup was still boiling on the stove, so she set it to a lower level and sat herself onto the other side of the sofa, right beside Charles.

He was breathing deeply and slowly, his eyelids fluttered from time to time, maybe he was dreaming. She felt the warmth of the drink float from her throat further down, warming her whole body. Charles made an indistinct noise in his sleep, she put the glass away and bowed over to him. Watched him for a while, but everything seemed to be good. He was indeed a sight, she found as she now looked at him from this close. Apart from the baby blue eyes which were closed now, he had some more beautiful features. Ears for example, ears which would surely be hidden by hair if he had any. She didn´t fancy bald men at all, but surely there was an explanation for this and she must admit his head shape was just marvellous. He looked tanned all over; it had truly been an overall warm summer, he must have spent a lot of his time outside. Awww... she was over his neck now... and there, on his arms, too... there were freckles. Mmm, sweet... She couldn´t exactly say why, but she had always liked freckles. There were also some on his nose. A strong nose it was, attractive face; to be honest, he was a very attractive man altogether. She would not go further now, examine those pinkish lips; they were plush even in his sleep.

She really wasn´t used to drinking, she clearly recognized now. She sat back again, straight and tried not to look at him anymore.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Charles and Jolene get closer. Soup. Charles has feelings.

Chapter 3

She must have fallen asleep. The stove gave a ringing sound and she startled up in alarm.

“What?”

Then she remembered. The soup. She went over and put the stove out. There was movement on the sofa. Charles had woken up, too. He rubbed his eyes and looked around, wondering for a moment. Then his eyes caught her and he smiled at her warmly. She poured him a plate of soup and went over, sat down at his side.

“Would you like some soup?”

He nodded.

“Yes. That´s very kind of you.”

He took the plate from her and started to eat.

“Mmmh. Thank you. This is exactly what I needed.”

She smiled back at him, then got herself some soup which she started to eat at the kitchen table.

“Scarlett? Excuse me...”

“Hm?”

Charles cleared his throat.

“Would you mind joining me here, so that we can enjoy this meal together?”

Gods, he was such a polite man, fine with words and manners. She could see how uncomfortable it made him feel not being able to sit and dine with her at the table.

“Sure. Yes.”

He made up some more room at his side for her and she sat back onto the sofa. She wasn´t sure if she was too close, their thighs were touching each other, then she remembered that he probably could not feel anything there.

“So... how do you feel? Does it still hurt?”

He looked at her and there was something new in his eyes; she could not really tell what it was - he seemed rather shy now but still... He gulped visible before he put his plate away. His mouth opened and closed a few times before he spoke:

“Maybe you could have a look on it? If you don´t mind. It´s... I´m sure it´s better. Just...”

She felt her heart grow. The man was lost of words. It must be so embarrassing for him that he was helpless in a way and needed to rely on someone he barely knew.

“Don´t worry. I will take care of that. Won´t risk an infection. I was about to change the bandage anyway. We should keep that clean.”

This was just normal stuff. Like with any other. It was just medical responsibility. He was in her care now and she was just fulfilling her duty towards him. Like anyone else would have done the same.

So she put their empty plates away and fetched her first-aid-kit from the bathroom.

“I think it might be better if you lie down again. Less pressure on the wound.”

Charles nodded and helped himself to get into a straight position.

“Erm...”

She pointed at his shirt.

“Ah... yes, sorry. I can do that.”

She would have done it for him, but she knew rather well that he must feel a lot more content if he did what he could by himself. She watched him open the buttons of his shirt, rather nimble fingers he had and she could not avoid to recognize how strong his ams were, his muscles straining against the fabric. He opened his shirt over his chest now and looked at her, rather shy again and sweet under raised eyebrows. She could not response in another way than smile back.

She took the scissors from her kit.

“So... let me open this. I´m cautious. Just... Please don´t move for a moment.”

He lay absolutely still, his eyes fixed on her hand trying to loosen the bandage. It got stuck and she needed some spray to release it without harming his skin again. The wound was exposed now. He hissed from pain shortly as she pulled the layers away and she looked at him apologetic.

“Sorry...”

She pulled the old bandage from under him and started to clean the wound, mumbling more to herself as to him.

“Looks far better... Will take some days. Okay, I´ll need more disinfectant. I think I put on some silver first, works against bacteria.”

Scarlett was working skilfully, trying hard to concentrate just on the wound care and not to stare at his bare chest, which was also unexpectedly broad. He must be freezing, she thought and focused back on the wound again; disinfectant, tape, a fresh bandage. Well, everything done.

“Good. I´m ready. I´ll get you a clean shirt now. Take the blanket, you better don´t get a cold.”

She was shivering herself which clearly had nothing to do with the room being too cold, it was warm in here and she was fully dressed, just... something had changed. Something in the way his eyes followed her every move, and something in the way her whole body reacted to touching his warm skin.

She wrapped up her aid-kit with trembling fingers and wanted to get up, but Charles held her back, he gripped her hand with his, softly but determined still.

“Wait...”

She raised her eyes and bit on her lower lip. Looked at him. His breathing had changed, she could see his chest – his still naked chest – heaving up and down.

“I...”

He shook his head.

“That´s so long ago... I don´t know...”

She clinched her fists, what was he about now?

“It seems I have forgotten how to start this.”

His tongue was ghosting over his lips and she felt her mouth opening, trying to hold her breath but she couldn´t. He chuckled and his cheeks reddened. He pulled her close gently. Then one thumb was on her lower lip. She felt prickles all over her skin, even more where he touched her. She bent down some more until her face was right above his.

“Meaning... this?”

She softly brought her lips onto his. He reacted instantly and they kissed, gently, cautiously... slowly... his lips were warm and tender and his hands wandered down further until he rested them at her waist. She felt him shivering, too.

“Are you sure you´re warm?”

she asked when they finally parted. He nodded.

“Very warm, thank you.”

He laughed and it seemed as if the sun went up on his face. He looked a complete new person; happy, content, still a bit shy... she could feel her heart melt.

“I´ll get you that shirt though.”

“Hm. Better do what you must.”

It took some time to change Charles into a new shirt as they were cautiously trying to avoid any pressure on the wound but after a little while it was done and Scarlett covered him with the blanket. He was indeed freezing now, shaking and his teeth chattering.

“Too much action today, eh? Come on, you really need rest. See if you can sleep some more.”

She felt his forehead, not too hot but warmer than before. Shit, he looked like he would get a fever though.

“I guess you still want to go without medication? Even if I would say you could need something.”

Charles smiled at her under closed eyelids.

“And I would say, lie here with me. That sounds far better than all medication of the world.”

He held out his arm and she cuddled herself onto his shoulder, as close as possible. _Well, usually they suggest people to lie skin on skin to warm each other effectively. Survival rules._

“Yes, that would be best. But I can understand if you leave that for more urgent situations.”

he mumbled, nearly asleep already. She looked at him, wondering if she had said that aloud.

“Sorry, I didn´t want to read your mind. My head is really not working right. I try not to do it again.”

So he really was able to do that. She tried not to think anymore and fell asleep to the sounds of him breathing, with her arms around his chest.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Charles´fever has dropped. Talks about telepathy. Things get... physical.

Chapter 4

They didn´t sleep well that night. Charles awoke from time to time, he was sweating heavily; Scarlett had to change his clothes again and wrapped compresses around his calves against the fever – and she wondered again, was that of any use? Did he feel it at all? Could his blood circulation react to such means with the nerves at his spinal cord damaged?

At least, in the early morning his temperature sank. And he was hungry, which was always a good sign. He really looked better after a small breakfast and a cup of tea.

“So what are we supposed to do now? Wait for your friends to catch you here? Where did they go anyway?”

He cleared his throat.

“Went after Jean. She was fighting this... i don´t know what they are. Foreign species, creatures from out of space... They wanted to destroy the whole planet.”

“So you were trying to save us?”

“Me? No, I was obviously not. It was all my fault. It never would have happened if I had not changed Jean´s memory. I wanted to help. I was just trying to do the right thing. I thought I had to save her from that. Ach...”

He made a gesture, trying to wipe those thoughts away.

He was trying hard to compensate with his mind what his body was no longer able to. So in a way he was just human, too, although he was a very powerful mutant at the same time. He took a deep breath.

“Could you please... uhm... it just flows into my head, I´m so sorry...”

He took her hand and pulled her close.

“Please don´t think at me that hard. I don´t want to intrude your mind, really. You´re just so... open.”

She looked at him with raised eyebrows. That sounded like she might need a mental shield. Like that girl from “Twilight”.

“Yes, there are people like this in reality. People who are able to shield. Others wear a helmet.”

She laughed now.

“Must be the fever. Come here, Charles.”

Maybe... ah no, she should not think about that now. So she just raised her head up to him and kissed him. This felt much better, he wasn´t that shy anymore and maybe his physical strength was coming back slowly. The kiss was different from that first one, he moved his lips passionate over hers, and suddenly his tongue was there, asking for entrance and she opened her mouth to let him in. She was still reserved, more than she would usually have been. With any other, she would be sure what to do. But with him? She didn´t know how “far” they could go at all. Charles seemed to sense her feelings; he took her hand and brought it under his shirt, onto his chest and looked at her affirmative. So she started to tenderly caress him there. His skin was still warm, but in a good way; she was sure he had overcome the fever. He moaned quietly.

“I really forgot how good this feels...”

She chuckled at his neck, kissed him there, then she sat back on her heels and took her shirt off. The undershirt. The rest of her clothes until she sat beside him in only her underwear. He clearly enjoyed the view.

“Are you trying to seduce me, Madam?”

Charles beamed at her with anticipation, his cheeks were burning.

“I don´t know. Am I? Or are you doing that? You are the telepath amongst us, so better you know.”

“I didn´t make you, if you mean so. Would never do that. But yes... I...”

He was tongue-tied once more. She lay back down, brought herself onto his body and he put his arms around her. She looked him deep into the eyes. Kissed his nose, then his lips again.

“Do you want this? Do you want to touch me?”

He coughed. He surely hadn´t expected any of this to happen. It all seemed so long ago. Yes, he had been what they called a womanizer back then in his twenties. Before... Before all that stuff happened. Before Erik and the X-men. He tried to remember; yes, women had always been easy for him to have, he had never had to try very hard, they had quasi thrown themselves onto him and his sexual appetite had been quite high.

“Who is now thinking too much, dear Charles?”

Scarlett kissed his forehead and he returned with his thoughts back to this room. He nodded.

“Yes... yes, sure I want that. Please forgive me for being so... slow. I am usually not like this. In normal life. With other things. Didn´t do this for a long time. Just didn´t...”

She stopped him from talking with another kiss and that set his mind free finally. He reached out for her, let his hands wander over her upper body, moaning into her mouth, trying to give her the same pleasure as she had given him. Then her hands were at his waist, moving slowly over the belt of his trousers.

“Wait. Wait!”

He put his hand over hers firmly.

“Please... don´t. Please...”

He gulped. Would she understand? He looked at her pleadingly. She was just so beautiful, those warm dark eyes and she... he had to look away. She really wanted him, he saw desire in her eyes. But he could not... could he? At least he hadn´t tried that for ages, not even... no, he just could not do that.

“I´m of no use there. I don´t think... I can´t. Really...”

He bit his lip. He just couldn´t do that. He was sure. And he didn´t want her to be disappointed if they tried. Didn´t want her to expect anything...

“It´s okay.”

She looked at him lovingly. He chuckled again.

“Maybe... I´m sure I can give you other pleasures. But not that. That I can´t.”

His voice was shaking. She could feel and see the tension all over his body, his eyes were dark, he was clearly aroused, he reacted to her; the way he clinched his fists, the way he bit on his lower lip. She nodded slowly.

“Okay. So... tell me. What do you want me to do?”

He held his breath for a moment. Had to close his eyes and breathe out slowly. When he opened his eyes again, the circles around the blue had turned even darker, his lips were swollen from lust, and his voice had turned rough:

“I want you to take your bra off.”

She did and she saw his whole upper body flinch, his muscles contracted, even his jaw was tense, like he was gnashing on his teeth. His hands were shaking as he brought them up to her breasts and touched her tenderly.

“Now lay beside me.”

She did that, too and he managed to turn himself to the left side, where he was not wounded. They were face to face now.

“Pull off my shirt.”

His voice was just a whisper now, raw and low, and she could feel his warm breath on her skin. She shuddered and gently helped him out of the shirt. Now she could truly enjoy the sight of him half-naked; the light hair on his chest and around his navel, his strong arms, the softness of his skin. For a moment they just lay like this, as if they didn´t know what to do, but then his lips were on hers again and his hands, too. His hands voyaged around her skin, slowly and tenderly caressed the shapes of her body and she had to stifle a moan; she tried not to move herself too hard against him, but she was desperate now, she longed for him. _Do something, anything, just do something._ She needed relief, her whole body was on fire and he was still slowly discovering her.

She felt like a teenager again, whispering silly things into his ear which made him laugh and she could feel him ease, he was enjoying this, too now. Finally, his hands were at her thighs, between her legs, spreading them softly, just enough to make room for him to get one hand onto her there. His fingers slightly touching her pants, searching... she was done, completely done, she could not wait any longer. She pulled his hand closer – and came. She was breathing heavily against his chest. He kissed her hair lightly, laughing a deep guttural laugh which vibrated through her whole body. His hand was still there and she was still shaking, waves rolling her over and over again.

He did not even really touch her.

“Did you do something to my mind?”

she dared asking when she had calmed down. He shook his head.

“No. I would never do anything the like. If you wanted me to, I could. But not now. Not with that state my mind is in right now. And I would never do that without your permission.”


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Scarlett makes a discovery. Charles´wound is healing. Scarlett has powers of her own.

Chapter 5

Something had happened. Scarlett looked at her hands, they seemed to be the same as ever. Just the fingertips... there was a prickling, heated feeling... She felt a bit dizzy, but it looked like nearly invisible flames were around them. Like floating energy.

She stood in the bathroom and wondered. Yes, that had happened before, she remembered now. Just had she never paid attention to that. These had been the times when she thought she was going crazy, seeing and feelings things no one else could. There had been moments... people who had called her “hypersensitive”, but in a good way; complimented her on how she could sense another´s emotional need so fast and accurate. And yes, she remembered other times, when for example she touched one of her friends and that had happened. Some of them had even mentioned it to her, how they felt a kind of electricity. She had never found that special. And it had never been visible up to now. She stared at her hands for a while then she went back into the living room. Charles would need a new bandage by now.

He sat on the sofa, seemingly waiting for her. She recognized, that colour had turned back onto his face, he looked... more lively, stronger, a big smile on his lips.

“Looks like you´re really getting better.”

“Yes, I feel... how to say... full of energy. What is it you are worrying about?”

He took her hand and there it was a again. A flash of blue flames, very shortly.

“I... that´s strange. You had such a high fever and recovered... so soon. I never...”

She stopped talking. Yes, she had though. Sure, she had experienced fast recoveries, but there had always been someone – a doctor, a teacher, elderly people – shutting her off, finding reasons, giving her facts why these people healed so fast.

But with such a wound... and without any medication, without antibiotics... She needed proof now. Charled did already pull his shirt up and was loosening the bandage. She was completely struck as she watched him.

“What about the pressure? Maybe you need to be more cautious... It should still be painful.”

He shook his head. And he smiled.

“Uhm, let me see this.”

She took away the last layer and gasped.

“This is... unbelievable!”

The wound had completely closed itself, there was still a reddish pattern where there had been this gaping bloody whatever it had been. She looked up at Charles, mouth open, and shook her head in disbelief.

“This is impossible. I´ve... yes, I´ve seen worse. But wounds like that... Usually they take weeks to heal. May I?”

She gently tapped with her fingertips towards the skin there and he did not even pull a face or wince, nothing. This just looked like some kind of bruise, nothing worse.

“I see strange things happen every day.”

Charles began.

“You don´t need to worry. I know someone who has similar powers, but can only use them on himself. Yours is special. You – are special.”

She looked at him, fear in her eyes now.

“You mean...”

He took her hands in his. She look at him, questionmarks in her eyes.

“I am one of you? I have... powers? That means... I am a mutant?”

She had never thought herself to be one, this sounded absolutely weird. Charles nodded.

“You are who you are. Mutant, human... powers... I no longer divide people. We all are what we believe we are.”

His mental strength seemed to have returned, too. So what was she now to do with that? She didn´t know. For the moment it was just a fact, a quite disturbing fact.

“You decide whatever that makes you. You don´t have to change your life just because of that. It is a gift and you may decide how you can use it.”

“Am I still floating into your head?”

Charles sighed.

“A bit, yes. It´s not that strong anymore, I guess. Maybe it is not you who needs to shield.”

What did he now mean with that?

“However... I don´t think you need anything on that anymore.”

She pointed to the still exposed skin where the wound formerly had been.

“Not there...”

he said and pulled her into a close embrace.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Scarlett wonders why Charles still stays at her place. Charles tries to manipulate her mind but does not succeed. Things get heated and they make out.

Chapter 6

A few days later Charles was back in his wheelchair rolling around the small flat, examining everything. He had taken every single book she owned into his hands and read at least a few pages.

“Stunning little library you have.”

Scarlett was in awe. Where had that seemingly helpless man gone, the one who was struggling, the one she met in the park? This one was a fully content person, sure of himself, his charisma filling the whole room. He truly was a leader personality. _Why was he still here? He could help himself again, the wound was gone, what exactly held him at her place then? Surely he would want to return to his wherever-he-lived, back to his mutant friends, back to saving the world..._

Charles wrinkled his forehead barely visible and sighed.

“Can I use your bathroom, please?”

She startled.

“Yes, sure. I´ll show you.”

She lead the way for him and wondered. But she was sure, he would not need any help there. He laughed, it sounded a bit sore.

“Well, no... no, I don´t. But thank you for caring.”

She went back into the living room and sat herself at the table, chin in hands, thinking. Wondering. Looking around... at her life. This was her life, her flat; tomorrow she would return to her job – the whole world was in order again, thanks to the X-men. But what should she do now with her newly discovered gift? Did she not have a responsibility, now that she knew?

Charles came back and rolled over, until he was at the same level with her. His face had darkened, she could not exactly say what, but something had changed. He breathed out thoroughly.

“I´m a bit lost, I guess. At home I could use Cerebro to locate the others. But I´m still not sure if that would be a good idea. So I was just thinking...”

_Yes – he needed to be amongst his people. She would take him to that Cerebro thing, whatever it was and then she would return to her life. Would be better..._

Out of the corners of her eyes Scarlett registered Charles making that gesture she had seen him do before, he laid his fingers onto his temple and smiled at her, but his smile was not for real, his eyes spoke another language.

Suddenly she felt dizziness, weakness all around her, there were pictures in front of her, beside her, changing and moving very fast. She saw the park, it was green as ever. She saw herself with her colleagues from work there. She saw her hands and she wondered. She felt lost, she felt dark, she... She felt rage. She felt anger. She screamed now and she felt like she was leaping up against a wall, a something that was invisible but trying to touch her, she pushed and screamed louder, she cried... – and then she was back in her room.

She was still screaming, panting.

“No! Nooooo! Don´t you do that to me! Nooooooooooooo!”

Her whole body was shaking so bad, she could barely sit, she raised her hands up high and with enormous power slapped Charles´ hand off of his temple. She held his hands firmly, still trembling, tears were rolling down her cheeks now and she could see her emotions mirrored in his eyes.

“You promised...”

she hissed between clenched teeth.

“You promised you would never use your powers against me.”

He coughed from pain, she really gripped his hands hard.

“I wanted... I did not use them against you...”

“Yes you were. I dare you. Never try that again. Never... Don´t even think about erasing yourself from my memory. Never...”

She loosened the grip around his hands and tried to breathe easier. He had his eyes closed, was searching for words.

“I thought you did not want me here. I...”

“You were in my head again. This was just... I was afraid. I was really afraid you would go and return to your former life. I didn´t want... you to go.”

She was crying openly now. Charles gulped, but he could not hide his feelings further.

“I just wanted...”

“You wanted to spare me something. Disappointment? What else? Pain? No... not pain, that was... not for me. It´s not about me. This is... this is all about you, Charles. You... you wanted to spare yourself pain. You are afraid. What are you afraid of? What?”

He sobbed now, too, his head low, he couldn´t look into her eyes no more.

“Yes. I´m afraid...”

His voice was a whisper only now. She took a deep breath and moved closer to him.

“”I´m afraid I can never give you what other men might. I´m afraid of my own feelings. I´m afraid I will hurt you. And see... I did that again. I was just talking about this some days ago and here I am, doing exactly the same thing again.”

Yes, that was what she had imagined.

“I don´t know. Maybe... maybe I better not promise anything again. I always try and promise... and then all that comes out of it... is this.”

“Yes, you are always sorry and there is always a speech.”

He looked at her surprised.

“How...?”

“That´s what you wanted to say, right?”

“Yes. So...”

He looked at her intensely as if he tried to walk inside her brain again, but couldn´t. She felt like something like a gentle touch, somewhere behind her forehead but he could not reach further.

“This... this is awesome.”

He laughed.

“You did it. You really did it. You shield. I can´t... I just cannot reach you.”

He wondered for a moment.

“So maybe there wasn´t anything wrong with my mind, that was just... that was you!”

He could not really mean that. But he nodded.

“Yes. It was you.”

Scarlett searched herself for the anger and rage there had been just moments ago, but it was gone. There was none left. Charles took her hands in his now and pulled her close gently. And she surrendered. She leant her head against his.

“Okay. Okay... I forgive you. But really... never try anything like this again. I dare you. Never... never again...”

She could not bring her sentence to an end, Charles was on her before she could even try to resist. Was kissing her deeply, his hands on her waist and next moment he had dragged her onto his lap.

Their kisses became boisterous within seconds, demanding; this had nothing to do with the soft and sweet touching and tasting they had shared before. Charles´ hands were gripping hard around her bottom and she started to move on his lap. He made a sound that went like a struck of lightning through her whole body. Then he detached from her lips. He panted and looked around rather uneasy.

“This is not really comfortable for me, you know...”

“Would you feel better with lying back onto the sofa?”

She was surprised how she could still cling to speaking in such turgid ways whilst shaking with arousal. Charles nodded and they went over, he heaved himself out of the wheelchair and lay down. She moved beside him and started to kiss him again, and somewhere in between they pulled each other´s clothes off. He turned over to kiss her neck, her collarbone, her breasts, his tongue was there and she shivered, she tried to keep her hands up over his hips, just caressing his tummy and chest. Charles groaned now and suddenly his hand was over hers and he looked at her with such intensity in his now greyish-blue eyes, she felt parts of her body react to it quite strong. She had to stifle a moan against his shoulder, when he moved closer and cleared his throat. He clinched his hands around hers and finally he took another deep breath and closed his eyes. She brought herself even closer to him and gently moved her tongue over his neck, brushed his shoulders and arms with just her fingertips.

“Would you...”

A sweet noise escaped his mouth, somewhere between fear and arousal.

“Do you still want to touch me here?”

He led her hand to his crotch and shivered by just the thought of it. Scarlett nodded.

“How could I not want that?”

He made another sound. Those voices of him were about to make her go crazy. Her knees felt weak and somewhere in the middle of her body she felt as warm and open as never before. His eyes were fixed on her as she slowly opened the belt and then the zipper of his trousers. He was embarrassed she could see it in his eyes, but he also was clearly aroused, she could feel that under her hand down there. She gasped for air shortly, then pulled his pants down and started to softly touch him.

“Gaaaa...”

Charles moaned deeply now. So much for “that won´t work, I´m afraid.”

She bent her head over to him and they continued kissing while she let her hands wander over his crotch and discover him there. He let out little moans into her mouth, his kisses becoming a bit rough now, he was clinching his fists so hard; he was completely overwhelmed by feelings he had never expected to experience again. He panted and his breathing had fastened, she could feel his chest heaving up and down.

“Please...”

His lips were on her neck now, sucking on her skin and she felt his teeth, too, nibbling and biting her softly.

“Please... can you just ... oh really, I can´t say that...”

His face was full of desire, his eyes so dark, she bit on her lip. She wanted him so badly, she wanted to pleasure him, she wanted...

“Can... can you maybe just do to me what I did to you?”

Now it was her turn to make noises she could not control. He felt good down there, she had not really thought about it again, but he was indeed fully erect. She looked down and pressed her legs together by the sight. She moved over him and brought her whole body onto his, her legs between his and her hands on him there. They kissed thoroughly and she felt him react, while she moved her hand around him, just gently at the beginning, but then he groaned and pulled her closer, so she gripped him harder, moving up and down and she could feel he was close. She looked into his eyes and he nodded; she fastened her pace and circled her finger at the top, giving some more pressure on the way further down and then he moaned with pleasure and he buried his head into the curve of her neck, where he panted and she could feel his chest convulsing, fastly heaving up and down and then his belly muscles contracted and he let out a cry and she felt warmth all over her hand.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Something happens to Scarlett when they arrive at Xavier Manor. Telepathy talk. Meeting Logan.

Chapter 7

Days later they stood before a metal door, around them only trees and green, the last houses she had seen must have been hours before. It had been quite a walk but Scarlett had enjoyed the time they still had alone, talking about seemingly everything. Now they had reached Xavier Manor.

“Wow! This looks... impressive!”

There could not be other words to describe this estate. The huge doors swung open and they walked down a tree-lined alley up to this huge building.

“This is where you grew up? Who are you, Charles? Lord of everything? President of the world?”

He laughed.

“No... not really. And it is a school by now, just you know.”

She read the wooden sign along the way:

“Xavier School for Gifted Youngsters”

“Gifted...”

she mumbled. She was truly excited to see the interior.

“So, who is there now? If it ain´t you and as your X-men are obviously still gone, who looks after those youngsters?”

Charles chuckled.

“A very good friend of mine.”

He opened the big wooden door and rolled through the large entrance hall. There were stairs into every direction; long floor to ceiling windows, the hall was lit bright and felt inviting, the whole atmosphere was thrilling. She looked around unbelievingly.

“How do you like it?”

Charles was on her side again. She nodded, clearly overwhelmed by all of this.

“It´s... amazing.”

“Okay. I guess I´ll show you round. I wonder where Logan is...”

He took her on a tour, showed her the classrooms; she was in complete awe. The equipment, the impression of teaching she got, the feels... Charles looked at her from the side and took her hand.

“This could be...”

She looked at him, bent down and kissed him.

“... a new life, I know. Yes, that would be it.”

They giggled and she was about to sit herself onto his lap, but then reminded herself that would be inappropriate here.

“Yes, well... let´s go over to my office.”

Charles pointed the way and minutes later he opened an ebony door and just as she was about to enter the room something hit her very hard from behind.

“Oh my god... ouch...”

Scarlett felt her head and yawned. That must have been a stone or something else. _Where did that come from? What happened? Where am I at all?_

She looked around. She was lying on what seemed to be a four-poster bed; something she had dreamt to own when she was a child, long time ago. It was an elegant wooden bed with cosy fluffy cushions and a warm blanket wrapped around her. She wondered who had tugged her into bed. Somebody must have carried her upstairs, she could see from the look out of the windows that she must be on the first, maybe even the second floor.

The bed really felt heavenly and the room was just beautiful but still... _How did I arrive here? And where is Charles?_

_“I´m having a class, will come to you right after this. Are you feeling okay?”_

Ah yes, she remembered. The shield wasn´t something that was on all the time, she could do that on purpose. But now he was just checking for her, he wanted her safe... so she could let him in.

_“I´m okay. Still hurts badly and I feel a bit dizzy. What happened?”_

_“I´ll better tell you in person. Just relax until then. I´ll be there in half an hour.”_

This telepathy talk was quite something, strange still but she surely could see its advantages. She grinned to herself. Okay, she would just enjoy the view out into the garden, all those trees down there, a lot of green and no end to be seen. She wondered if all the land belonged to Charles. She would better not think about that further. _All the pleasures that must come with having so much space._

She suddenly heard Charles chuckle in her mind.

_“Yes, it truly is. I had a wonderful childhood. Remember the swing in the trees.”_

_“Aren´t you supposed to give a class, Charles?”_

_“Hmm... well, you know, students can work on their own sometimes, darling.”_

She shivered from the softness in his voice. He hadn´t called her that before. So maybe that was what he meant with her being open. She could let him in, talk to him, if she wanted. She could do things... she could think of situations...

_“Scarlett! Please, I need my attention for my students, still...”_

Oh! She laughed quietly to herself and tried not to think anymore. She would need more practise, it wasn´t as if there had been a button to put him on or off.

Some minutes later the door opened and Charles appeared. But he wasn´t alone. She pulled her blanket higher, which was of course total nonsense, she was clothed and everything, so what for... Charles threw her a strange look and then introduced the other man.

“Scarlett, I want you to meet Logan.”

She looked at the tall man behind Charles. He was of a quite wild appearance, messy hair, his cheek-beard shaven in a strange, wolfish style and those steel blue eyes could surely be piercing, but right now they appeared very warm and friendly to her.

“He should be able to explain to you what happened.”

Charles nodded over to him and then Logan started to talk.


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Scarlett tells Charles that she loves him. They have sex.

Chapter 8

“So it was like a stroke?”

Scarlett was still horrified and Charles tried to soothe her.

“You did not really suffer from one. That was just a symbol, a kind of explanation. Logan just wanted to give you a picture. And we already checked on your vital systems, everything is fine. It was...”

“... just too much? The two of us together? Will it happen again?”

Now she put it in words and there it was again; fear. _How could this go on, how could it be possible? She loved him, but either she was a threat to him or he to her?_

Charles shook his head.

“I don´t think it´s like that. I had other mutants around, with very strong powers. None of that ever happened. Jean for example...”

She interrupted him without further thinking.

“Yes maybe. But Charles... was any of them in love with you?”

“... just when it´s out of control. But I can teach you... I can help you to control...”

He suddenly stopped. It seemed as if her words just now flowed into his head.

“Erm... uhm...”

He stuttered. Then he stopped breathing for a moment and looked at her, as if he saw her for the first time.

“You... you love me?”

His face showed a mixture between anxiety and overwhelming. For a moment she had the strong feeling something went totally wrong and he could just not cope with her words.

“Uhm... I never... I don´t know if anybody ever said that... but...”

He looked at her with such doubt, but then chuckled.

“You really mean it.”

She nodded and gently took his hand in hers.

“Sure I do.”

Now he smiled and looked back at her lovingly. He was so unfamiliar in his official “headmaster outfit”; grey suit, red tie over one of those elegant white shirts, a vest under his jacket...

“I was just thinking... erm...”

He cleared his throat laborious.

“What you did during class this afternoon...”

He raised his eyebrow and now his looks had changed back into that intensity she had seen before. Okay, they would discuss the whole mind control issues later, she guessed.

“Hm?”

Charles bowed over to her until they were eye to eye.

“I was wondering if you would like some company tonight.”

Her heart melted again. She was not one for fine words but he was so good with that, and it would not suit him to say this in another way. Even more now, that they were here at his place, in this distinguished environment. She smiled at him and reached for his tie.

“Thought you would never ask. Come over here.”

When he sat beside her on the bed some moments later, she loosened his tie and started with the buttons at his shirt.

“How come I always feel so warm around you?”

he asked with that shy smile on his lips again.

“I could explain to you with words, but I rather do it another way.”

He moaned, as she started to suck on his neck, whilst she was busy with the rest of his buttons.

“Mmmh... your thoughts nearly made me...”

His words flooded directly into her womb. She knew what he was thinking of. He still had that vest over his shirt, but she didn´t care. She looked at him provokingly.

“Do you want me to do that now?”

Her hand was over his crotch and he moaned into her ear; she squeezed him gently. He nodded.

“Still shy, Charles. You need to get those words out. I could hear you think...”

She was opening his trousers fast now and gripped her hand around him, he was hard already. Then she bent down and took him into her mouth. Charles groaned and let his head sink back into the cushions.

“Aaaaah, yes!”

He hissed and hammered his fists into the mattress. She loved seeing him like this, he was completely into her hands now, lips in this case. And tongue... He coughed.

“Ggggaaa...”

She used her hands now, too. And she longed for him to do things to her, longed for his hands, his mouth... and more. She didn´t want to just turn and... no, this was impossible and unimaginable with him. But still...

“Hmpfghr... oh!”

She had to stop for a second and was breathing heavily, he must have read her mind; he was already there, she looked up to him, he was clearly enjoying what she did to him. He grinned seductively and roughly pulled her panties down and then his hands were on her, down there, in her and outside, gently rubbing her sweet spot while he had two fingers in her, inside her wet warm cave. She felt like opening up even more, he was just that good, there was another finger now and she could feel him watch closely. He was coughing and she felt him grow harder, so she enveloped him again, sucked around the top and circled her fingers up and down and he felt so good, here and there.

“Charles...”

She moaned deeply and he understood. He bit his lower lip very hard while he watched her intensely and with one hand he spread her legs a bit more, whereas she wanted to clinch them so badly.

“I´m so close, please...”

“I know, love. Just stay like this. I want to watch you. Aaaah, yes...”

And then he was there again and suddenly she felt his lips, wet lips, sucking and breathing on her, he was panting and she could not take it any longer, she had to take her mouth away from him and she screamed while her climax hit her like a hurricane and she came around him, shaking, panting, groaning. Charles was still there, kissing her softly through it until the last waves flooded away and she turned just to see how much more all of that had aroused him. He looked at her unbelievingly.

“You´re... you are not... done?”

She laughed.

“Yes, I´m done. Completely done.”

She looked at him again, and there was so much more to be seen in her eyes, he felt her reach for his soul, his heart, his everything. She held his hand, her fingers gently kneading his and then she kissed him softly. And whilst they kissed thoroughly she finally opened his shirt completely and let her hands wander over his chest. Charles helped her with taking the rest of his clothes off. She had to gulp very hard, they had never been like this before, both completely naked, he was shivering and then she was close to him again, her voice was just a whisper and his heart nearly skipped a beat as she spoke.

“Sleep with me, Charles. Now...”

He coughed. And yes, he so wanted it. He pulled her into his arms for a passionate deep kiss and then she sat herself onto his lap and he held his breath, he had to close his eyes for a moment and then he moved into her, slowly and she was over him and all world stopped. She let her body sink down on his, so gently, so slow. He could feel the warmth of her breasts on his chest, her arms around his neck. They kissed, their tongues found each other and he wrapped his arms around her back, gripped her bottom with his hands and she moaned. And then she started to move up and down on him.

“Ggggg... hhhhaaaaah...”

The range of sensation blew him away. He had never expected to do that, to feel that again, he hadn´t even thought about it for ages and here it was, here he was and she, here they were and it felt so good. He groaned.

“Charles...”

She was moaning over him, she kissed his neck, her fingers were all over his body and now she started to go faster. She was on fire, he could tell from the look in her eyes.

“Gaaaaa... love, give me a moment please...”

She stopped.

“Hm?”

“I... I really can´t last very long...”

“Shush.”

She laid one finger onto his lips and kissed him again, tenderly.

“It´s okay, Charles. Don´t apologize again. It´s all okay.”

And then she was all over him again and moved further, faster now, harder, her hands gripped around him and she panted, she moaned into his mouth and then he was there, he coughed and panted, he felt some kind of explosion somewhere and his belly convulsed with pleasure and she looked into his eyes and nodded. She bit into his shoulder to stifle a scream and he felt her sink down on him, shaking, panting and he held her close and she kissed his chest until there was nothing left.

And then she waited, she did not move an inch, they just lay like this and she felt him soften inside her and he let out a deep sigh, when she moved away from him and lay down on his chest, her arms around his shoulders, his arms around her waist and like this they fell asleep.


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Scarlett makes a decision. Charles gets emotional. Erik returns.

Chapter 9

They sat in the hallway again, Scarlett with her little rucksack, she had not brought too much with her. Charles sighed deeply and his chest was heaving up and down with great efforts, he was clearly affected by her decision.

“So this is what you want, really?”

She bent over and kissed his nose softly.

“Yes. And yes, I did overthink that deeply.”

She would go back to the hospital. She found her help, her gift would be most needed there. For now... They had had long talks about it, Charles wanted her to stay and had offered her a job as a teacher and yes, she really had thought about it and she would love to do that sometime later. She would love to live her, around with all those gifted people, around with him... all the time, but still... she had her own life, her friends, people relying on her and her gift would be of more help there than with those guys here. She would return to the “normal” world.

Charles was having a hard time, he had been angry. Not to be able to control her decision, their relation, he so wanted to keep her by his side. But now he was lost of words, there was sadness all around him. There had been tears, there had been a lot of emotions, he had finally been able to open up. Told her he loved her. Yes, he loved her back and it had been a true challenge for him to tell her. He had almost made an official announcement after that and she had never ever in her life felt so complete as in those days with him, the hours they had spent alone, the moments they had shared. Nights had followed, nights of love-making, passionate love, and she knew it wasn´t just that. This was more, this was nothing they just would somehow get over each.

He looked at her now and had to gulp away a very persistent lump in his throat, before he could speak again:

“So... what makes that of us? What are we now?”

She sat down on his lap and embraced him tenderly. Kissed him.

“Weren´t you the one telling me we are what we believe we are?”

He chuckled.

“Yes.”

“And I will come back. It´s not like I´m gone forever. Hank gave me a contract and I signed. Didn´t you know?”

Obviously he did not. Charles looked at her questioningly. She handed him the paper and he read over it quickly.

“Seminar... Twice a month...”

His face lit up.

“See, that´s at least something you can control.”

She poked his nose with hers gently and then they kissed, here in the hallway and it was not just a sweet short kiss. They heard giggles around them, light tapping over the stairs...

“Well... I shall escort you outside to...”

At this moment the doors flew open and for a moment they were blinded by the sunlight streaming into the hallway. When they could see anything again there was a man standing in the doorway, a man she had seen before. Just did he now not wear his purple helmet. He had a big smile on his lips and walked in with long powerful steps.

“Old friend! We´re back at last. And it looks like we are going to stay!”

She watched Erik clap Charles´shoulder hard and Charles jerked back a bit, but then he smiled happily and they embraced each other. Charles pointed to her.

“Erik – Scarlett. Scarlett – Erik.”

Erik nodded and greeted her with his shark-like smile.

“Never saw the man happier before.”

She felt her cheeks flush and took his hand.

“Thanks. Nice to meet you. So I guess, I can leave now. Will you look after him?”

Erik nodded and beamed over to Charles.

“Sure. Fancy a game, Charles?”

Charles chuckled and rolled forward.

“Sure, old friend. I had expected nonetheless.”

Scarlett went over to Charles and kissed him goodbye, it was a long and deep kiss; she could feel Erik getting very uncomfortable with the sight of them and then she just held Charles´ hand for some seconds and looked at him once more, and he nodded, and then she turned – and walked away, back into her life.

**THE END**

**Author's Note:**

> This contains of 9 chapters.


End file.
